On Aug. 28, 2026, U.S. forces operating in coordination with Ecuadorian authorities boarded and sank a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean alleged to serve as a floating refueling station for drug-trafficking boats. The operation was conducted by Marines and sailors deployed from the amphibious transport dock ship USS San Antonio, according to a statement from U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM).
The vessel, identified as operating in support of the Los Choneros organization, was previously targeted under Department of the Treasury sanctions. SOUTHCOM confirmed that intelligence linked the vessel to the group, which the U.S. government has designated as a foreign terrorist organization. After boarding the vessel without incident, U.S. forces removed individuals and transferred them to Ecuador for processing. The vessel was then sunk by U.S. forces following the operation.
SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan stated that the action exemplified the work of the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition, a military partnership formed in March 2026 between the U.S. and regional nations to disrupt cartel operations. The coalition aims to dismantle sophisticated, clandestine narco-terrorist tactics that facilitate drug trafficking into American communities. Donovan emphasized the coalition’s role in targeting critical logistics networks used by cartels in the Western Hemisphere.
The operation follows a broader U.S. military strategy to interdict drug trafficking at sea. On Sept. 2, 2025, U.S. forces conducted a strike against a boat in the Caribbean Sea, resulting in 11 deaths, marking the first in a series of subsequent strikes targeting alleged narcotics transports. Additional strikes in the region have since resulted in further casualties, including a four-person fatality incident in the Caribbean on Aug. 26, 2026.
SOUTHCOM released video footage of the vessel being scuttled, describing the operation as a direct blow to the logistics network fueling narco-terrorist operations. The agency reiterated its commitment to working with regional partners to disrupt cartel activities, stating that the action severed a critical maritime node supporting drug trafficking in the region.